BATON ROUGE – The 2014 Tax Amnesty Program has processed more than 41,000 applications and settlements, which is projected to deliver more than $142 million for the Amnesty Fund, the Louisiana Department of Revenue (LDR) announced Thursday.
“I was pleased with the response that we received from taxpayers fulfilling their obligations to the state during this year’s Amnesty period,” said Secretary of Revenue Tim Barfield. “In the coming weeks, we will continue to process applications that were submitted by the deadline, and we expect some additional upside as the mail comes in.”
In total, the Department is projecting over $169 million in Amnesty collections, of which $142 million will go into the Amnesty Fund and, as provided under the Amnesty statute, $27 million will be retained by LDR to pay an estimated $4 million of expenses for administering this year’s Amnesty Program and provide $23 million of self-generated funds to replace penalties and fees waived. Of the $169 million, the Department has received $136 million in payments, is awaiting receipt of $10 million relating to settlement payments mailed prior to the deadline, and projects $23 million through installment payments to be made by May 1, 2015.
“The increase in amnesty funds is welcome news for the state budget as we work to create a plan to eliminate the shortfall created by declining oil prices,” said Commissioner of Administration Kristy Nichols. “Some of these payments may be used to reduce the impact of expenditure cuts on state agencies and taxpayers.”
Of the $169 million collected, approximately $112 million relate to resolutions of audit and litigation cases, which generally are contested matters involving businesses, and $57 million relate to delinquent tax collections which generally involve individuals and small businesses.
The 2014 Tax Amnesty Program gave eligible taxpayers the chance to bring their accounts up to date by paying all taxes due, with a waiver of all penalties and 50 percent of the interest.